Jailed Iranian Protest Rapper Salehi Sentenced to Prison in New Case

The appeals court of Isfahan province has rejected Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi’s appeal against his one-year prison sentence, his lawyer says.

"Our appeal against the initial one-year imprisonment verdict was dismissed by Branch 17 of the Isfahan court, making the sentence final," lawyer Amir Raisian told the semi-official ILNA news agency. 

"We will continue to explore other avenues for appeal," he added.

Salehi, 33, was initially arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of nationwide protests that had erupted the previous month.

He had released songs that criticized the government and supported the protests demanding more freedoms and women's rights, and posted pictures and videos of himself during demonstrations.

In July 2023, a court sentenced the artist to six years and three months in prison for “corruption on Earth.” 

He was released on bail on November 18 after the Supreme Court, responding to an appeal, found “flaws in the original sentence.” It sent the case back to a lower court for a reexamination and possible retrial.

Salehi was returned to jail less than two weeks later to face new charges after publicly talking about his alleged torture in prison in a video.